{"id":179,"date":"2025-07-04T18:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T18:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/?p=179"},"modified":"2025-07-04T18:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T18:15:43","slug":"faith-breathes-works-from-the-heart-through-the-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/04\/faith-breathes-works-from-the-heart-through-the-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Faith Breathes Works: From the Heart, Through the Hands"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sermon Link: https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZEVb8Sye154?feature=shared<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon Excerpt from James 2:14-26<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On October 31, 1517, the world changed with the sound of a hammer. Martin Luther, a monk burdened by the corruption of his time, nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. His protest wasn’t just against indulgences\u2014it was about answering the age-old question asked by men like Nicodemus, the Rich Young Ruler, and even the Disciples themselves: What must man do to be saved?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luther\u2019s cry, and the cry of the Reformation, echoed the voice of truth, the Scriptures: we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But in James 2, we\u2019re reminded of something vitally important that often becomes forgotten, though we are thankfully saved through faith alone in Christ alone, faith that saves is never alone. A Living faith breathes because the Living God breathes and when it breathes, it breathes works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, beloved, faith is not mere agreement with a few doctrines, nor is it head knowledge or church attendance. It’s a spiritual resurrection, a mind renewal, and a heart regeneration. It’s an obedience that flows from the love of a new heart! It’s the tree that bears fruit because it is rooted in the rich ground of Christ. So, real faith grows from the heart and through the hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James starts us off with a stinging question: \u201cWhat good is it\u2026 if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?\u201d It\u2019s rhetorical. And the implied answer is no. Faith without works is useless, fruitless, and powerless and he goes further by giving a sharp example: a brother or sister is poorly clothed and hungry. And instead of giving them food or clothing, all you give them is the words: \u201cGo in peace, be warmed and filled.\u201d That\u2019s not compassion. That\u2019s cruelty with a smile. Because love doesn’t shrug. It doesn\u2019t send people away with nice thoughts. Love steps in! Love brings the hungry the plate off of our table and the shirt off of our back! Love does not just acknowledge the need. It fills the need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He didn\u2019t stay distant. He came near. And when the Word takes root in your heart, you will go near, too, because He calls you to do so! This is the kind of faith that shows up on Monday morning, beyond Sunday singing and through weekday serving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

James goes deeper: \u201cFaith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.\u201d Not broken. Not weak. Dead. Lifeless. Just like a body that doesn\u2019t breathe air is dead, so is a faith that doesn\u2019t breathe works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he drops a shocking, chill-inducing line: \u201cYou believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe\u2014and shudder!\u201d What James says here is that you can believe in the right God and still be lost. You can believe in the existence of God and even tremble at His power, and yet still have no saving relationship with Him. Because even the demons believe all the biblical truths and doctrines of God, and they\u2019re damned because their knowledge breeds their hatred of God, not love for Him. That\u2019s why saving faith is not just an agreement\u2014it\u2019s affection. It\u2019s not just awareness\u2014it\u2019s allegiance. Real faith loves Christ, treasures Christ, obeys Christ, and imitates Christ. Meaning, it doesn\u2019t just say half-heartedly, \u201cYeah, I believe in God.\u201d It says with a yearning soul, \u201cI belong to Him and I desire to look more like Him!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James now calls forward two witnesses: Abraham and Rahab. One was a patriarch. One was a prostitute. But both had living faith. Abraham believed God, and his belief showed when he placed Isaac on the altar. Rahab believed God, and her belief showed when she welcomed the spies and protected them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James then says something that can be very troubling to some, IF, they do not tread carefully. \u201cYou see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.\u201d Don\u2019t mistake him, beloved. He\u2019s not saying we\u2019re justified before God by our works. He\u2019s saying that true faith is proven by what it does. We know this from our witnesses, Abraham didn\u2019t just say he trusted God\u2014he obeyed Him because he trusted that God was faithful to His Word. Rahab didn\u2019t just claim to know the Lord\u2014she risked everything because her heart had been captured by the fear and glory of God. Their hands followed their hearts, and their works flowed from their worship. Therefore, faith that saves is a faith that obeys. It\u2019s a faith that gives. A faith that moves. It\u2019s a faith that doesn\u2019t just sit in the pew but walks out of the church and into people\u2019s lives with mercy, grace, and truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, we also know this with certainty that this is indeed what James means in verse 24 because we interpret Scripture according with other Scripture, not Scripture with logic or feeling. That is an essential practice for our daily study of the Word. It is to ask when we approach similar Scriptures, “Ok, Lord. What else do you have to say about this topic?” And for this, we find that Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are saved by grace through faith\u2014not by works\u2014yet we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. Paul speaks of the root, James speaks of the fruit. The Bible does not contradict itself, it completes itself.\u200b<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And friend, let\u2019s not forget the power of that principle: interpreting Scripture with Scripture is how we keep our theology anchored. James challenges us to test the profession of our faith, and Paul roots us in the provision of God’s grace. It\u2019s not either-or\u2014it\u2019s both-and. Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James ends with this image: \u201cAs the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.\u201d It\u2019s blunt. And it\u2019s true. Just like a corpse doesn\u2019t walk, breathe, or speak, neither does a dead faith. You can dress it up, but it\u2019s still lifeless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And works without Christ? They\u2019re just religious attempts. Filthy rags that cover up a rotting corpse and an empty performance in that you hit the morals and miss the Master. You can do good things and never be made good. And on the other hand, you can claim to know the Master and still miss the morals in that you speak of grace while stepping in godlessness. You wear the name but not the nature. And you claim Christ, but there is no Cross in your conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus even warned in Matthew 7 that many will say to Him, \u201cLord, Lord,\u201d and He will say, \u201cI never knew you.\u201d Not because they didn\u2019t work, but because they didn\u2019t love. Not because they didn\u2019t try, but because they never truly trusted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the question today isn\u2019t just, \u201cDo you have faith?\u201d The question is, \u201cDoes your faith have life?\u201d Is it breathing? Is it moving? Does it love? Does it obey? Because saving faith is not passive. It\u2019s powerful. It makes you new. And when that happens, you will serve, love, give, forgive, weep, rejoice, sacrifice, and speak\u2014not to be saved, but because you are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, let faith live, let sin die, let grace empower you, let the Spirit move through you, and let the gospel shine from you. May the works of your hands be the breath of your faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grace be with you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sermon Link: https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZEVb8Sye154?feature=shared Sermon Excerpt from James 2:14-26 On October 31, 1517, the world changed with the sound of a<\/p>\n

Continue readingFaith Breathes Works: From the Heart, Through the Hands<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179\/revisions\/180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/joc.lukegbrown.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}